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I'm talking horse food...

Started by DouginUtah, April 13, 2010, 07:22:19 PM

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DouginUtah


If you had three riding horses in a dirt corral how much hay (minimum) would you feed them each day?
-Doug
When you hang around with good people, good things happen. -Darrell Waltrip

There is no need to say 'unleaded regular gas'. It's all unleaded. Just say 'regular gas'. It's not the 70s anymore. (At least that's what my wife tells me.)

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Roxie

If you are riding them everyday, they should get about 5 lbs. each.  But, there are so many variables:

What kind of hay?
What kind of work they are doing?
How big are the horses?
Are you giving them grain?
Say when

Norm

Two sections of a small square bale and a scoop of sweet feed each. If you work them hard look see how much hay is left the next morning, if none then increase the sweet feed by a half scoop. They should also get a mineral, vitamin supplement daily unless they get some pasture.






DouginUtah


Guess I need to give some more info. These horses are in a 1000 sf corral on my property waiting for the pasture to grow before letting them in to the ~1 acre field. Not my horses. I have no idea what breed they are; just the type hunters use to go deer hunting on.

I think the hay is alfalfa. They do nothing all day except stand around waiting for food. I have never seen food but there is a fiberglass box which is always empty when I go by. I don't know if they are fed in the morning or evening and don't know if they are getting grain.

Does one-half a small bale sound about right for the three of them?
-Doug
When you hang around with good people, good things happen. -Darrell Waltrip

There is no need to say 'unleaded regular gas'. It's all unleaded. Just say 'regular gas'. It's not the 70s anymore. (At least that's what my wife tells me.)

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Stan snider

They wont get fat but it will keep them alive until grass arrives but it will take much, much more than one acre to keep them through the summer. Something like 5 to 10 acres each, here.  In some parts of Utah it takes a lot.  Horses walk down more grass than they eat unless they are about dead with old age. They like to move and that must be why we enjoy them so much. There are probably fifty people who dream of owning a horse to every one that dreams of a cow!

DanG

Doug, the best indicator I know of is to just look at the horses.  You should just barely be able to see their ribs.  If you can't see them, they're too fat.  If they are real prominent, they aren't getting enough food.
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

Roxie

Half a small bale might be enough for one horse...but, alfalfa is high octane hay, and every horse is different in feed requirements.  Like DanG said, the best way to know is to observe them.  Also, there are now grain foods that include hay and perhaps they are being fed that 'complete' food until they are put on pasture. 

Say when

zopi

Quote from: Stan snider on April 13, 2010, 11:12:25 PM
There are probably fifty people who dream of owning a horse to every one that dreams of a cow!

I would be the one....Nothing like black cows on green grass...

With alfalfa and no excercise, a couple flakes off a small bale and a quart scoop give or take of sorghum sweet feed....
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DanG

Everybody has their own opinion about feeding if they've ever had horses.  My own is that he needs a good bit of bulk to make his gut work properly.  Also, a horse has an internal heater of sorts that depends on the heat generated from breaking down large quantities of grass.  They also depend on munching all day for entertainment, and they tend to misbehave without entertainment.  Actually, they create their own entertainment by abusing their stall and their keepers. ;)  Based on that, I prefer larger quantities of medium quality grass hay, supplemented by a small quantity of either alphalfa, peanut hay or sweet feed.  IMO, alphalfa and sweet feed is way too much energy and far too little bulk for an idle horse with no exercise.  Heck, I would even put a big round roll in there with him and let him eat all he wants.  All it will do is enhance the value of the hay at the end of the day(and the end of the horse).
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

ErikC

 I agree with the bulk statement. Horses need food in their stomach or they get ulcers, and usually behavior problems result. I like alfalfa-grass, about half and half.  It takes at least 20-25 lbs of hay per horse per day to keep them right in my experience, and quite a bit more when they are getting used. I only feed grain when they work, other than a few handfuls for treats to keep them friendly.  
 With 5 in my corral, it takes at least a 3 wire bale every day (115 or 120 lbs) and they don't get fat. Makes me glad most of the time if they aren't working I have them on pasture. When they are working hard I give about all they will eat, plus use up a sack of grain every few days. Feed is usually short on hunting trips, which won't hurt 'em, but you have to feed them up as good as you can before and especially after to make up.  If they go in poor somebody is going to have a hard time.  ;)  
 Pasture is pretty variable due to moisture and warmth, but horses can eat the heck out of a pretty good sized one if you let 'em. Mine are on over a hundred acres, in sections,  and it gets pretty short at the end of the season even with rotating them around.

smiley_horserider smiley_horserider smiley_horserider smiley_horserider

PS I have seen this smiley used more in relation to conversations with various wives and girlfriends than actual horses. :D

Peterson 8" with 33' tracks, JCB 1550 4x4 loader backhoe, several stihl chainsaws

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